The Best Cure for Insomnia
by josephina
Summary: Hermione finally realizes what she has needed all along.


**Well this is my first HP fic and I hope you all enjoy! Takes place immediately after Book 7. **

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Despite the warm June breeze drifting into Ginny's room at the Burrow, Hermione Granger shivered in her bed. She hadn't slept in five days, and feared that she might actually go insane with the frustration of insomnia. She had counted sheep, sang childhood lullabies to herself in her head, and read her _History of Magic_ textbook from front to back three times. Tears welled up in her eyes as the much-desired sleep was once again blocked off from her.

She was alone in the room, as Ginny and Harry now chose to spend their nights in the seclusion of the nearby woods. Ginny would wait until she thought Hermione was asleep, then stealthily creep out, only to return before dawn, smelling like wet grass and wood smoke. It amused Hermione that Ginny felt she had to be so secretive with her renewed relationship; Hermione was personally thrilled to have a living reminder of why the sacrifices they made in the war were so crucial, as the painful memories of what they had endured oftentimes made it difficult to remember what they had saved.

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The euphoria of Harry's victory over Voldemort had been quickly extinguished by the raw grief over the deaths of Remus and Nymphadora Lupin and Fred Weasley. Although everyone had been very fond of the newlyweds and crushed at their unexpected demise, it was the loss of Fred that hit hardest. Hermione almost couldn't bear to look into the faces of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley or their six remaining children. Though they all seemed to be trying to go back to normal, the anguish was clearly etched into their faces. Hermione grimaced slightly as she remembered dinner, when Mrs. Weasley had accidentally called George "Fred," and then, horrified at her mistake, turned away from her son and burst into great, gulping sobs. George had looked stricken for a moment, then tore from the kitchen and into the bedroom that he had once shared with his twin, where he remained for the rest of the night. Ginny and Percy attempted to calm Mrs. Weasley down, and Hermione had carefully left the room, feeling like she had no right to be witnessing such a private family matter.

It was then that she had almost ran headfirst into Ron, who seemed to be also hiding from his mother's unabashed mourning, although his hunched body language suggested that he too was in pain. He had jumped, obviously startled by her appearance.

"Oh! 'Mione- hi," he stuttered, wide-eyed, stuffing his hands deeper into the pockets of his jeans.

"Ron, are you alright?" Hermione asked carefully, placing her hand on his arm. Ron had looked at her hand for a moment, then taken a step closer so their noses were almost touching.

"Not really, but I will be," He smiled weakly and brushed a curl away from her face. "How are you handling all this? You look exhausted, have you been sleeping?"

Hermione shrugged and looked down, remembering how awful she looked from lack of sleep. She knew her eyes were rimmed with dark circles, her already bushy hair tangled, and her body still weak from the constant travel and malnutrition she suffered during the past year. All of these features seemed to go unnoticed by Ron, who was leaning closer to her, making her pulse speed up considerably. His breath was quickening and his full lips were so close--

But their tense moment was interrupted when Molly Weasley shuffled into the room, sniffing noisily. Ron and Hermione quickly stepped apart, but Mrs. Weasley did not appear to have noticed. Ron looked at Hermione grimly, then gave a little nod as if to say "I'll take care of her." Hermione nodded back, then retreated upstairs. She looked back at them once, and her heart swelled at the sight of her Ronald with his arm around his mother, allowing her to cry into his shoulder.

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_Her Ronald._

Hermione sighed now, a fresh wave of loneliness passing over her as she lay still under the frayed patchwork quilts, her mind still spinning instead of resting. Though Ron had enthusiastically returned her kiss in the Room of Requirement, they hadn't a chance to talk about it and Hermione had no idea how to define their current relationship. They were definitely more than friends, but one passionate kiss didn't automatically put them in a monogamous relationship--did it?

Hermione flung back the covers and jumped up, unsure if it was her delirium making her brave or if she was just tired of being so frustrated all the time. She knew she wasn't going to sleep tonight, so she might as well go after the only other thing she craved more than rest. The wooden floor felt cool against her bare feet and a surge of adventure pulsed through her as she thought of what she was about to do. Snatching her wand off the dresser, she was almost to the door when a soft knock came abruptly from the other side, shocking the silence of the room. It was all Hermione could do to stifle a scream as she leapt backwards, almost toppling over but catching herself on Ginny's empty bed at the last moment.

The knock came again, slightly louder this time, and Hermione composed herself enough to open the door a crack, peering into the dark hall.

"Hermione." She gasped at the sound of Ron's voice. For some reason she had expected it to be Mrs. Weasley, who, in the past, had occasionally felt the need to check on her children in the middle of the night. She hadn't done so since the war, however, Hermione realized.

Hermione stepped backwards, opening the door enough for Ron to step in. She thought he looked adorable in his orange pajama bottoms and thin white t-shirt. _He must have grown at least another inch taller in the past year,_ Hermione observed. _His pajamas are shorter than ever._

Staring at his bare ankles, Hermione opened her mouth to comment on his need for new pajamas, but was halted by the look on Ron's face. His blue eyes were impossibly dark, his lips were slightly wet, and he was staring at her with such desire--no, hunger-- that something deep inside Hermione's abdomen clinched and her legs felt unstable.

"Hermione." He said it softer this time, almost like a plea, though the want did not leave his face.

"Ron." Stepping closer, Hermione put her palms against his chest, and that was all it took to trigger Ron into action.

With a deep, primal growl, Ron seized Hermione around the waist and lifted her up, kissing her uninhibitedly. Hermione gasped, parting her lips immediately so he could kiss her as deeply as possible. Wrapping her legs around his middle, she gripped his shoulders as their tongues explored each other for the first time. Hermione had dreamt of this moment for years--of kissing Ron, tasting him, feeling every part of him pressed against her intimately--but the reality was so much better than her fantasies. The whole experience was incredibly erotic, and she couldn't believe they had waited so long to do it. She had never felt this awake or alive in her entire life, and she never wanted it to end.

Hermione moved her hands up to his head, tangling her fingers in that beautiful red hair she had always loved and --secretly hoped-- that their future children would inherit. Ron groaned as he pulled away from her mouth to make sloppy hot kisses down her neck and onto her chest. She closed her eyes and leaned back to give him better access, relishing the feeling of his lips on her skin. They bumped into something, and Hermione realized with a thrill that Ron had led them to her bed. They stared silently at each other for a moment until Ron--_When did he get so fearless?--_laid her down on the small, rickety old bed. She felt a chill at the sudden aloneness, but felt it disappear the moment Ron covered her body with his own. Her thin summer nightdress now seemed extremely revealing, and she knew that he could feel the heat radiating from her most private areas, proving exactly how much she wanted--no, needed--him.

She didn't have much time to think about it though, as she quickly became lightheaded from Ron's mouth on her neck at the pulse point, while his left hand made its way up her rib cage, brushing the underside of her right breast. Feeling bolder every minute, Hermione sat up to slip off the nightdress, leaving her clad only in her thin cotton knickers. She smirked slightly as Ron's vision drifted to her full breasts, his eyes now the size of dinner plates. With trembling hands (though now it was more from a frantic mixture of love and lust than fear), Hermione tugged on Ron's t-shirt and removed it, silently admiring the lean muscles she discovered. He was kneeling in front of her, still in his thin pajamas and unembarrassed by his now extremely visible erection. Hermione stared at it for a moment, then met Ron's eyes and smiled nervously.

"Ron--" Hermione began, taking his hand in her own. "I--"

"Hermione, if you don't want to do this--I--I understand, and we can stop," Ron interrupted quickly, stuttering and blushing and suddenly looking more like the boy she had fallen for all those years ago. "I just--I love you. I really do, and I can't believe I've never told you that before, especially during the war, when there were so many times when I could have lost you…but that doesn't matter now. I--I know I've never been great with words, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to tell you how much you mean to me," Ron paused, looking down at their clasped hands, then back up to Hermione's face, where a single tear ran down her cheek. He pushed her bushy hair away from her left ear, and whispered gruffly, "but if you let me, I'll do my best to show you."

That was all Hermione needed to hear. With a growl not unlike the ones Ron had been emitting, Hermione tackled him backwards, pressing her bare self against his bare self and grinding her hips against his. Their kissing became more frantic as Hermione reached down to slide Ron's pants off, while he made short work of her knickers.

Finally, Ron gently rolled her over and they were completely exposed to each other for the first time. Hermione's entire body was humming with want and need and her heart was so full it felt as though it would surely overflow or burst. Some of Hermione's practicality must have rubbed off on Ron, as he remembered to grab her wand and do a simple contraceptive charm. After a bit of fumbling and bumping around (it was their first time, after all), Ron slowly slid into Hermione, wincing as she gasped in pain. The pain subsided soon however, and Hermione urged him on. It didn't last long, but when Ron collapsed on top of her, panting heavily with his hair plastered to his forehead, grinning madly, Hermione knew that she had never been this happy.

Ron groped around in the dark to find the quilt, which had been tangled and knocked to the floor earlier. He used it to swaddle the two of them on the tiny bed so they were spooned together snugly.

"Ron," Hermione said suddenly, though her eyes were now extremely heavy. "I love you too. So much." She felt Ron smile against her shoulder.

"Hermione, you need to sleep."

And so she did.


End file.
